Press Release

Carlos Gonzalez presented Players Choice Awards as 2010 NL Outstanding Player & Player of the Year

In his honor the Players Trust will contribute $70,000 to charitable causes

MLBPA Press Release

NEW YORK -- In a pregame ceremony prior to this afternoon's game, Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will receive two prestigious Players Choice Awards as 2010 NL Outstanding Player and Player of the Year. Teammate Ryan Spilborghs -- a member of the MLBPAs Executive Board -- will represent his Major League peers in presenting the awards to Gonzalez in recognition of his outstanding performances in 2010.

In 2010, Gonzalez helped keep the Rockies postseason hopes alive for most of the season with an offensive performance worthy of one of the games rising young superstars. In a career-high 145 games played last season, he led all National Leaguers in average (.336), hits (197), and total bases (351). Playing in just his third Major League season, Gonzalez finished second among National Leaguers in RBI (117) and slugging percentage (.598), third in runs (111), and fourth in homers (34).

In his honor, the Major League Baseball Players Trust will award grants totaling $70,000 to the charity of Gonzalezs choice. 2010 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-field and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing nearly $3 million to 180 different charities around the world.

Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. In partnership with Volunteers of America, the national human service organization, the Players Trust administers the Action Team, a national youth volunteer program currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers in more than 160 high schools in cities throughout the United States. For more information on the Major League Baseball Players Trust, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/MLBPlayersTrust.

The Players Choice Awards winners (Outstanding Pitchers, Rookies, Comeback Players, Player of the Year and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year) were selected by secret ballot of all Major League baseball players, under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the thirty Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League baseball players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust, a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players. Please visit the Players Trust Channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MLBPlayersTrust.